How To Make A Classic Country Kitchen Stay On-Trend

As homeowners we want to make all of our rooms welcoming to make sure it's a place where family and friends like to gather and spend time.  The kitchen is no exception, and the appeal of a cosy hub of food and entertainment is one we all aim towards.

One of the best ways to achieve this cosy look is to dabble into rustic, country kitchen decor and we’re taking you through our guide on how to style a country kitchen that stays on trend, all year round.

1. Choose Colours Like The Experts

If you’re big into interior design, you’ll know that lots of room inspiration come from world-renowned authority, Pantone, who are colour experts. They release annual colour palette predictions, suggesting various shades they believe will blossom in the year to come, not to mention those that’ll fall short.

The shades that are continuing to flourish in our homes are those inspired by nature. We’re talking olive greens, caramel browns, crisp oranges and subtle greys. See how you can incorporate some of these below to create your country kitchen using tiles and splashbacks.

Product Feature: The above image showcases a combination of our Cottage Light Grey tiles in matt and gloss finishes

These grey Cottage tiles offer a simple yet modern look in a stunning, easy-to-clean, matt and gloss finish - the choice is yours! Use these tiles as a focal point in the room, contrasting the warm, natural wood kitchen worktops and darker wood cabinets. 

Within the range of Cottage tiles, we have a selection of shades to choose from which you can mix and match between including sky blues, powder pinks and spring greens. We recommend that you use a combination of colours to create a unique, brick-like splashback and surround with cream cabinets and kitchen accessories.

Good To Know: Pantone has already released an idea of the colour palettes we can expect for spring and summer of 2019. We’re seeing popular shades like minty greens, blueberries, bossy pinks, mystic violets and pastel blues.

Product Feature: The above image showcases our Cottage White, Cottage Pigeon Grey and Cottage Ivory tiles.

Whether you use these colours as the focal point of the room through a statement splashback or add them subtly in your accessories, sticking to these suggested shades will help you to stay on trend all year round.

2. Give Your Room A Modern Twist

If you’re worried that a country theme may damage the current modern look you have for your home, there are lots of great ways you can add a modern twist to ensure this room seamlessly blends in with others in the house.

Use light wood beams into your home if you don’t have them already and give them a thin lick of white paint so that they looked “white-washed”. This will make the room feel a lot warmer and in touch with nature, particularly if your home features lots of greys and whites already.

Image Source: Pinterest

You can then add in farmhouse style lights, typically dangled to look like pendants. Choose steel shades and fixings and pair with steel cabinet handles. You can go a step further to mix and match with your handles from those you may find at car boots or antique fairs to really capture the rustic feel without compromising your modern style.

A final suggestion you might like to consider is to go open plan. It's a great way to open up your country kitchen, allowing it to flow into your dining room or lounge and create a welcoming living space.  You can then decorate cohesively, spreading similar colours and patterns throughout the entire area.  This will ensure that you have no obvious line cutting the styles apart, which can make each room feel lost.

Make our Pure White tiles the backdrop to your country kitchen, giving it a unique, glazed modern finish.  Then, combine with country style cabinets, wooden accessories and plants and watch the two themes effortlessly melt together to create a stunning country kitchen with a modern twist.

3. Find Antiques

Opposite to opting for a modern twist, you can always go for the other end of the spectrum and find beautiful antiques to give your country kitchen personality.

Whether you go all out and find a pre-owned dining table and set of chairs or if you select some smaller ornaments that you can sprinkle about the space.

Many antiques are seen as timeless for the pure fact people know they’re antiques. For example, it doesn’t matter if the antique is 20 years old or 40 years old - assuming it still works. So, by adding antiques into your kitchen, you’ll always be able to pull off the rustic, traditional feel that antiques allow, regardless of their true age.

Remember: No antique is “too old” to be an antique!

4. Add Statement, Dark, Earthy Tones

When we suggest adding statement, dark tones to your country kitchen, this is not to say your kitchen should become a gloomy, sad space overcast with jet black cupboards, grey curtains and coffee brown floorboards. After all, your kitchen will no doubt be the hub of cooking and guest entertainment, especially around Christmas, so you’ll want it to be well lit for both.

Yet, there’s something about incorporating deep, earthy tones in small doses that screams perfection for giving you your comfort fix, whilst making it practical.

In the below example from Wren Kitchens, their use of navy kitchen cabinets, white textured tiles, beige wooden flooring and lots of pendant and ceiling lights, you can create a super snug and safe place to hibernate come winter months as well as keeping it light and airy for summer.

Image Source: Wren Kitchens

5. Display Your Items

There’s plenty of ways that you can display your items without cluttering the space. Though, the beauty of a country kitchen is it doesn’t have to be pristine and tidy all of the time. Instead, showcasing some of your best items rather than tucking them away in a draw can make the room feel lived-in and homely.

If you tend to go all out at Christmas then your kitchen can be left feeling empty when you've taken down your decorations.  Proudly displaying everyday items such as cookbooks, a tin of biscuits, a statement collection of crockery or by hanging your tea towels and aprons on traditional steel hooks can help you bring interest and conversation pieces to your kitchen without cluttering.

Image Source: House Beautiful

6. Choose Traditional Appliances

In order to achieve an authentic country kitchen, you’ll want to choose retro kitchen appliances. Depending on your budget, there are plenty of dishwashers, kettles, fridges and more, that come in retro bubblegum colour to match the Pantone shades in their Spring and Summer 2019 report.

Alternatively, you could always ditch the pastel tones and opt for a white, rectangular kitchen sink with tall metal taps in golds, coppers or silvers. These metal tones are stereotypical of traditional farmhouses, giving your kitchen that rustic feel with a touch of modern elegance.

Match these metals in your lampshades, pots and pans, cupboard handles and the sink to create a cohesive look.

Summary

Now you’ll know the six key components you must consider in order to keep your country kitchen up to date and instilled with that homely comfort you get at Christmas time, all year round. So, why Tile Giant?

We offer extremely competitive pricing on our entire range of tiles and likewise, each tile featured in this post is both competitive for retail and trade. Our stock is widely available in our 100+ showrooms which are open to browse at your leisure.

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to shop our tiles online, we can supply you with samples delivered for free.

Not only that but Tile Giant also offer a buyback service on any unused tiles, meaning you get great value for money.

Click here to find your local Tile Giant showroom

Need more help? Call our team of experts on 0345 307 5000